When building a structure, such as a house, the carpenter often finds it necessary to nail one end of a joist in place without having anyone around to hold up the other end. This is especially true of individuals who are building or making an addition to their own house.
There have been a number of joist hangers developed, for example those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 247,050; 783,807; and 1,728,613. These prior art devices, in addition to temporarily holding up the free end of a joist while the other end is nailed into place, are generally intended to act as permanent joist supports. To keep the joist from shifting, the hangers, often made of flat metal strips, are typically nailed to the beam. Such nailing is both times consuming and reduces, and sometimes eliminates, the ability to reuse the joist hanger. Although the prior art devices have had certain shortcomings, their use in the construction industry has been widespread, but primarily as permanently installed joist supports.